Different types of imaging tests, such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, and PET scans, are used to diagnose and stage cancer. Combining PET scans with CT scans or MRI scans provides more accurate results and helps determine the best treatment for patients.
Several types of imaging tests are used to diagnose cancers. These tests include magnetic resonance x-rays, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. Some of these can also help stage tumors, which means assessing how far the cancer has advanced in the body and whether it has metastasized. Each type of cancer scan uses slightly different technology and produces results of different accuracy and detail. Often two of these cancer tests are done at the same time, as some scans have a synergistic effect when used together.
X-ray is the most basic test that can work like a cancer scan. While X-rays are a useful diagnostic tool, however, they are not detailed enough for accurate diagnosis and are not used to stage cancer. An X-ray is one of the first imaging tests that can be used to diagnose cancer, but it is almost always followed by at least one other diagnostic scan.
Computed tomography, also known as a CT scan, uses X-ray technology but uses additional equipment to capture X-rays from several different angles at the same time. This type of cancer scan can generate three-dimensional images of the inside of the body and is a much more useful diagnostic tool than a single X-ray. The main disadvantage of CT scanning is that the images generated are low in contrast. To help correct this problem, a person undergoing a CT scan can be given an intravenous injection of contrast dye so that the scanner can produce more detailed images.
Magnetic resonance scans, commonly called MRI scans, generate images of the body using electromagnetic radiation. An MRI can produce images with much greater detail than a CT scan, with the added benefit that an MRI can generate high-contrast images without the need for intravenous injections of dye.
Positron emission tomography, or PET scan, is the most effective cancer scan in use to detect and stage cancer. Unlike any other type of cancer scan, the PET scan relies on the metabolic differences between malignant and non-malignant cells to detect cancer in the body. This feature of the PET scan means that this particular test is more detailed and more accurate than any other for diagnosing cancer.
Combining a PET scan with a CT scan or MRI allows for even more accurate and detailed results that can provide an accurate cancer prognosis. Information about a tumor’s location, size, and metabolic activity is critical, as it influences the type of treatment a patient can receive. These combined scans are also very useful in determining how well a patient is responding to a particular treatment after it has been performed.
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